From Charity Bazaar to Digital Learning: KAS Supports Zan Shan Elementary School
On a chilly Sunday in March, the KAS PTA hosted the school’s first Family Charity Bazaar. Various student run booths lined our secondary courtyard as families enjoyed music, food, and drinks as they shopped.
While the bazaar was new to KAS, it reflects a longstanding value and culture of giving that are rooted in our mission of preparing students to be ethical global citizens. The goal of the event was to provide a platform for our students to give back while supporting the broader Kaohsiung community in a meaningful way. The young booth owners were charged with calculating their revenue and expenses at the bazaar and determining how much they wished to donate to support students in the rural district of Taoyuan. In the end all proceeds were donated.
Taoyuan District is a mountainous area with limited access to resources. PTA discussions with District Chief Du Siwei revealed that natural disasters, such as typhoons, mudslides, and earthquakes disrupt road access and prevent children from attending school. Additionally, many families faced the difficult choice of sending their children to school during the pandemic or having them miss out on learning due to a lack of distance learning resources. It was decided that Zan Shan Elementary School could benefit from support that helps to address this digital divide. The school is the most remote aboriginal school in Kaohsiung and is located in a community with limited resources. To ensure that students in the school can continue learning during these unexpected events, the bazaar proceeds were used to purchase 30 ASUS Chromebooks. Additionally, Mr. Lin Weixiang of Pengjun Technology Co., Ltd. sponsored 30 pairs of headphones to further facilitate distance learning.
This week, our two school communities came together on the KAS campus for a celebration. Thank you to Chief Du Siwei, Zan Shan Elementary School Principal Lin Qiuying, our amazing PTA, and everyone who joined us for the event that highlighted the power of giving, the importance of stewardship, and the positive impact they have on all of our students.
For more on this story see the news coverage below.
